Cykos New Year
by Liberty131
Summary: A New Years oneshot starring our favourite OTP Cykos. I might update if I have time, but don't count on it... Happy 2020 3


**A/n: Happy New year and welcome to 2020! Come celebrate with me and Cykos in a little CTM oneshot I've prepared for you. Let's hope you enjoy…**

**Akos**

Eijeh slapped Akos on the back, hooting his enjoyment. "Man, isn't this party just the best?!"

Akos tried to fake a smile. "It's… something else."

Eijeh rolled his eyes. "Oh, loosen up, will you? Maybe if you get drunk enough, you'll wake up next year as a freer, funner person."

"For one thing, last time I got as drunk as you, I wanted to sleep for a whole year anyways. And for another thing… funner? How much have you had to drink already?"

Eijeh rolled his eyes again, grinning, and sipped his drink, sliding one across the counter to Akos. He ignored it; he didn't care who said it was feminine, the taste of the iceflower cocktails were the only thing even close to calling for him.

"Ooh, chicks alert," Eijeh whistled, leaning over the counter. "Check it out. Twelve o'clock."

"Eij, twelve o'clock is a group of old people doing shots and getting tequila in their chin hair."

"Only if you angle your head that way, doofus! _Look!_"

Akos followed Eijeh's finger and, sure enough, a pair of girls were leaning on the jukebox, swirling iceflower drinks in their hands as they talked. One girl had white-blond hair and an eyepatch over her right eye. The other had rich, golden-brown skin and dark curly hair. Akos watched her for a moment before she turned her head, gazing across the room. A familiar face, stained with black shadows. Akos swore, turning to cover his face. Despite himself, he took a swig of the drink Eijeh had left for him.

"Dang, the things I bet that… hey, what's the matter?"

"Don't you recognise them?" Akos hissed, desperately shielding his face.

"Dude, I don't even remember how we got here," Eijeh laughed. "Why? You guys have history?"

Akos groaned. "That's _Cyra Noavek_, Eijeh. The one with the _shadows_. Cyra."

Eijeh choked on his mouthful, turning back to stare.

"Damn," he whistled. "I never pictured her like that. Which is weird, because we used to have to see her all the time, and Ryzek was always talking about her. Hey, you mean the Cyra Noavek with the shadows that we were enslaved by, right?"

Akos groaned, covering his face. "Yes, Eijeh."

Four months ago, after taking her to the sojourn festival, Akos had drugged Cyra Noavek. He had rescued his brother from his cell, using his current-deadening fingers to erase any security that could catch him, and he had killed Vas Kuzar using the very dagger that Cyra had given him that day. He and Eijeh had gotten out safely, and they had returned home to a completely empty house in Thuvhe, where eerie memories held so thick and fast that they had taken refuge at the equally-empty temple instead. Now they were in a (rare) Thuvhesit party, ready to celebrate the new year. And Cyra was- somehow- there with them. Akos's stomach twisted.

"Hey, Akos? What're they doing in a _Thuvhesit_ party?"

Akos sighed. "I don't know, Eijeh, but we need to get out of here. _Now_. Come on."

Akos tugged on Eijeh's arm, but they'd only gotten a couple of steps when Eijeh began to resist. "Hang on. How do I know you're not just saying this so we can go home, since you don't wanna be here? How do I know you're not just tricking me?"

"Don't you think if I was tricking you, I'd be blushing like crazy right now?" Akos pointed out. But it was just his luck that at that moment, Cyra's eyes caught his, and his face was set aflame.

"Nice try," Eijeh snorted. "Can't even back up your own lies. I'm staying."

Akos didn't even watch as Eijeh walked away.

His eyes were fixed on Cyra.

* * *

**Cyra**

Five months ago, I was given the gift of a lifetime from the brother who saw me as a weapon. He gave me relief from pain in the form of a companion, and though I hated him at first, we soon grew used to one another and formed a friendship.

Four months ago, he took me to the sojourn festival and gave me my new favourite memory, one I'm hoping desperately to keep. Then he gave me my worst; waking up, hazed by drugs that _he_ had given me, and finding him gone, escaped home and safe from Noavek tyranny. But sharing that said surname did not exonerate me.

Three months ago, in a time where life was feeling less worth living by the day, I was attacked on the sojourn ship by a renegade meaning to take my life. I bested her, but let her go, and later came to find her in search of an ally. Ryzek needed to be unseated as sovereign.

Two months ago, when we landed, our assassination attempt failed when my blood wouldn't open the gene lock on Ryzek's door. We escaped uncaught, but the manor was in an uproar searching for who had made the attempt and security measures heightened. Our mission was completely up in the air.

One month ago, Teka- my renegade friend- said she'd found something important, that we needed for the mission. She said it was in Thuvhe. So we crossed the divide- thus fulfilling my fate- and settled in an abandoned house near the feathergrass, with hushflower-dusted burnstones, stores of dried iceflowers, and a blood stain in the living room that told us nobody would be coming back for a while.

Now, Teka had dragged me to a New Years party, saying we needed to loosen up. Loosening up was the last thing on my mind, with the mission looming heavy over my head and my currentshadows worse than ever before, with no relief forthcoming since I couldn't make painkillers on my own. But I didn't fight for long, and we've been lounging over to one side of the party with our drinks since we got here.

And that's when I saw _him_.

_Him_ is Akos Kereseth, bearer of both my best and worst memory and holder of the only currentgift able to take mine away. _Him_ is the one who held my hand as we ran through a storm of blue rain during the sojourn festival, and laughed with me as we tried to splash each other, never once letting go. _Him_ is the one who tricked me, cheated, lied, _used me_ and ultimately left me alone in the place I hated most with the person I couldn't stand. _Him_ is the one whom I was never supposed to know, Thuvhesit and Shotet, and _him_ is the one I fell in love with.

I never wanted to. But I could never stop it.

"Cyra? Hello? Are you listening to me?"

"What?" I mumbled, still not looking away from Akos. He doesn't move, either.

"Cyra? What are you looking at? Don't get your eyes too set on anyone, it can't happen. We're Shotet and they're Thuvhesit. Remember? Oh, for Goodness sake, who the hell are you staring at like that?"

"Kereseth," I mumbled.

"Kereseth? Oh- shit. You mean Akos? The servant who left like, four months ago? With his oracle brother?"

I nodded, numbed. I couldn't even feel the currentshadows at that point, but I could see them racing across my skin like they were injected into my veins. Teka whistled.

"Yikes," she said. "I didn't think he'd be out at this party. You want to go home?"

It was all I had been begging for since she made me come in the first place, but I found myself shaking my head.

"No," I said, on autopilot. "No, I don't. I need to talk to him."

"Oh, no, Cyra, don't do that. Cyra? Cyra, are you listening to me? Get back here…"

I walked forward, slow, cautious, heart pounding in my ears. Teka didn't follow me, but I could tell she doesn't approve. Akos waited for me to reach him, his whole body tense. For long minutes, we just stood there, staring.

"Hello," Akos said. His voice was soft, and afraid.

"Hello," I replied, in Thuvhesit. "I should have known you would be here."

"What are you doing in Thuvhe?" he asked.

"I'm on a mission with Teka," I said, gesturing to her behind me. "Apparently we need to be here for it, and she forced me to this stupid party, too."

Akos cracked a tiny, shy smile. "You look good," he said eventually. "Like you're doing well, I mean."

"I'm alive," I agreed, a bite to my words. "Barely."

His face fell a little, though he recovered quickly.

"I'm sorry for what I did," he said quietly. "I didn't… I didn't expect to, I guess. Feel sorry, I mean. But it turns out you… you wound up meaning more to me than I expected. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."

I mentally scolded my heart for the involuntary flutter, then winced as shadows raced over my skin. Akos linked his fingers with mine, and my breath caught. Sparks- painless, but electrifying all the same- fluttered over my skin where he touched me. I could see he was bracing himself for me to tell him to leave me alone, but I didn't.

"Do you want a drink?" he offered tentatively.

I wanted to push him away, but once again I found myself nodding of my own accord. "Sure," I said, mouth dry. "What the hell."

* * *

**Teka**

I slip through the crowd as Cyra makes her way toward Akos, searching for the now-familiar face of oracle Eijeh Kereseth. I spy him on the opposite side of the room and duck over without Cyra spotting me. I needn't be so sneaky; she can't take her eyes off Akos.

"Plan in motion?" Eijeh murmurs as I reach him.

"Check," I say in reply, sipping more of my drink. It appears Eijeh isn't near as drunk as he was acting earlier.

About a month and a half ago, Eijeh contacted me, looking for "Cyra's friend", which I suppose I am. He said he had seen visions of her, and that it was important she come to Thuvhe. He told me we need to join forces- Me, him, Cyra and Akos. He still hasn't told me what's so important, but I believe him that we need to take action. The first thing we need to do is get Cyra and Akos to agree to work together, which seems to involve a little secret matchmaking on our part. An easy task, it seems so far.

"What's the next course of action?" I ask Eijeh.

"We need to wait until they're on board first, which means we should probably check it out tomorrow, to make sure it wasn't just the alcohol talking," Eijeh explains. Then, closing his eyes briefly, he adds, "But things are looking good so far."

I nod, guiding the straw back to my lips. I have so many questions, but there is no time for them now.

Now, all I can do is wait.


End file.
